Michigan State faces Valparaiso in NCAA opener

By Drew Ellis, For The Macomb Daily

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

AUBURN HILLS — Bryce Drew knows all about March Madness.

The Valparaiso head coach is better known for having one of the more memorable shots in NCAA Tournament history. Every year, the nation gets to re-live Drew’s game-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer to lead the then-13-seeded Valparaiso Crusaders over fourth-seeded Ole Miss, 70-69, in the 1998 NCAA tournament.

With 2.5 seconds remaining in the game, and Valpo down two points, Jamie Sykes launched an inbounds pass over halfcourt to teammate Bill Jenkins. Jenkins quickly and alertly passed the ball to Drew, who drained the 3-pointer from 23 feet out at the buzzer to give the Crusaders their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. Valpo would go on to reach the Sweet 16 that year, a feat that hasn’t been matched in program history.

Drew is now looking to create another upset moment as he leads his 14th-seeded Crusaders against third-seeded Michigan State on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. from The Palace of Auburn Hills in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“You know, winning as a player in the moment and you really don’t process, I don’t think, as much on both ends of the spectrum. You’re just so focused on what you have to do. I think as a coach, you know, you have to be ready for all types of scenarios in the games. You’re constantly thinking of different scenarios, how to react if this happens, if this happens, to be well prepared and right now, you know, our main focus all week has just been Michigan State and basically just that first possession, the first four minutes and going forth,” Drew said.

“I think as a coach I’d be definitely more excited for the players and I’m more excited for our fans. As a player, you know, more excited just for me and the team but as a coach I think you’re excited for everybody involved.”

Drew is in his second year as coach of Valparaiso and he is coaching in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his career.

On the flip side, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo will be coaching in his 52nd NCAA tournament game on Thursday.

“The difference is he’s played the game. He’s played in it. He’s played at other levels. He lived it with his dad,” Izzo said of Drew coaching in his first NCAA tournament game compared to other first-time coaches. “So I think once you grew up in it that way, I think it’ll be a little easier for him to handle and he’s done such a great job there with his team. They’ve won a lot of games and, you know, am I going to feel sorry for him? No. And do I have great respect for him? Yes. I think he’ll handle it well.”

The Spartans are making their 16th straight NCAA tournament appearance this season and the Spartans seem to be built for a potential run. MSU has the added benefit of playing close to campus, with the first two games taking place at The Palace.

“We’re excited to be here. I think the NCAA tournament never gets old, No. 1, and to have the ability to play in your home state in a great facility like The Palace is, I think, special for me, for our fans, for our university, and for our team,” Izzo said.

Valpo isn’t far from home either, being located in Valparaiso, Ind. The Crusaders are expecting plenty of their fans to show up at The Palace on Thursday, and despite having a young coach, they bring an experienced team to the floor to face the Spartans. Valparaiso has six seniors and four juniors on the 13-man roster.

“The players that have experience, meaning those seniors, and have hunger of not wanting to play their last game, that’s sometimes a great combination for success, and they’ve got that,” Izzo said of Valparaiso. “You know, that is one thing they’ve really got. And those guys have been through the wars. They understood it and I’m sure they don’t want to go home and end their careers.”

Valpo is riding a six-game winning streak entering Thursday’s game and the Crusaders average 71.7 points per game while allowing just 62.2 points per game.

Leading the team is 6-foot-7 senior forward Ryan Broekhoff, who leads the team in scoring (15.9 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg) and blocks (26). Broekhoff is complemented by 6-8 senior forward Kevin Van Wijk, who is averaging 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

“Having so many experienced players has really come out in pivotal points throughout the season and you know there’s been times where we’ve been playing bad and we’ve been down double digits maybe in the second half,” Broekhoff said. “Having that experienced group, that core group of guys, you know, sticking together, we kind of work through situations that maybe in years past we would have folded.”

The Spartans will look to continue to have their balanced offensive attack, as five players are averaging over nine points per game for the season, led by guards Keith Appling (13.6 ppg) and Gary Harris (12.9 ppg).

“I think they can beat you in so many different ways,” Drew said of Michigan State. “They can beat you on the perimeter, they can beat you inside. They can beat you on defense, they can beat you on the boards. They can beat you in transition. There’s so many different factors. It’s not really one or two that, you know, hey, if we do this we have a great chance.”

The Spartans haven’t suffered a loss in their NCAA tournament opener since 2006 and Izzo knows his team is capable of continuing that streak, but it doesn’t guarantee success.

“I think there’s an understanding that (we) can compete with everybody, but I also think there’s an understanding that, you know, we haven’t won some of those (close) games, and some of them have been through self-inflicted wounds,” Izzo said. “Some of the teams outplayed us and some of them we aimed to that.”